Since Western streaming platforms do not have a large C-Pop catalog, having a Chinese streaming service is perfect for exploring the latest streaming content of your choice. Have you ever tried to know which music streaming or audio streaming content is best for you? If not, we can help you find the best one; you can try the QQ Music app as it provides users with the best service whenever they consider using the streaming solution.
What is QQ Music?
QQ Music is one of three Chinese freemium streaming services owned by Tencent Music, a joint venture between Spotify and Tencent. As of 2018, the music streaming service will reach around 700 million users with a predicted 120 million subscribers. QQ Music is worth $10 billion; the valuation of music streaming is five times that of Spotify.
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In 2016, the service with China Music Corporation owners of the third-largest streaming services was KuWo and KuGou. With the merger, QQ Music currently has around a 15% share of the Chinese music market online. The service leverages the brand to the public through the annual QQ Music Awards outside of music streaming.
QQ Music concentrates on professional content, letting music influencers and musicians set the trends. It has impressive editorial playlists, and QQ is somewhere between Kuwo and Kugou. Presently, the Chinese app has 332 million users and has been a tremendous success.
Initially, it was an insignificant instant messaging tool but later lighted offering articles for users who are fond of reading. Not only that, the music streaming software allows users to watch music videos, even interviews, and concerts with worldwide international stars. It’s a top-tier feature that no other music app offers to users.
Key Features of the QQ Music App
Vast Music Library
QQ Music offers millions of tracks across various genres, including:
- Chinese pop (C-pop)
- International hits
- K-pop and J-pop
- Classical music
- Indie tracks
Users can easily search for songs by artist, album, or genre.
Personalized Recommendations
The app uses AI algorithms to curate playlists and recommend songs based on your listening habits. Features like “Daily Mix” and “Recommended Songs” help you discover new music tailored to your preferences.
High-Quality Streaming
QQ Music provides multiple audio quality options, including:
- Standard Quality (128 kbps)
- High Quality (320 kbps)
- Lossless Audio (FLAC) for premium subscribers
Social Integration
You can connect with friends, share playlists, and even view what others are listening to in real-time. QQ Music also supports sharing songs on platforms like WeChat and Weibo.
Lyrics and Karaoke Mode
Enjoy synchronized lyrics for a sing-along experience. The Karaoke Mode lets you record your own renditions of songs and share them with others.
Music Videos and Live Performances
The app features a rich collection of music videos, live concert recordings, and exclusive artist interviews.
Offline Listening
Download songs, playlists, or albums to listen offline, perfect for times when internet access is limited.
Membership Tiers
QQ Music offers free access with ads and limited features. Premium memberships unlock perks such as ad-free listening, unlimited skips, exclusive content, and lossless audio.
QQ Music Business Model: Everything Explained!
QQ Music works under a freemium business model in which fundamental services are offered free of cost to the users. At the same time, if the users want to enjoy advanced features, they need to move to a subscription plan. However, unlike similar subscription services, Spotify, labels can restrict their content to subscribers.
Nevertheless, the restricted content is purchasable on the website, which usually costs 19 to 20 yuan. Many artists are using this strategy; the name includes Noah Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande, in which specific albums are restricted from being acquired. QQ Music encourages users to purchase their VIP subscription services.
In 2021, Tencent’s music apps, including QQ, KuGou, and Kuwo, were China’s most popular music streaming apps. The monthly active users of Kugou totaled 298 million; however, Baidu’s rebranded Qian Qian accumulated over 4.6 million monthly active users.
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As of 2018, Tencent’s music apps QQ, Kuwo, and KuGou cover around 80% of the music streaming market in China. However, NetEase Cloud Music was a key market player with a market share of 11.9%.
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The QQ music app is much like the Kugou app and shares many similar features. The audio streaming platform is a product of Tencent and holds an influential place in the Chinese market. The streaming platform mainly focuses on the urban strata of the country.
Tencent’s Music Apps Dominate the Market in China
As of September 2024, Tencent Music Entertainment solidified its dominance in China’s music streaming industry with its three flagship apps—QQ Music, KuGou, and Kuwo—emerging as the top choices among users. Together, these apps command a significant share of the market, reflecting Tencent’s powerful hold on digital music consumption.
QQ Music’s Market Position
Among Tencent’s trio, QQ Music led the charge with a staggering 332 million monthly active users (MAUs). Its immense popularity can be attributed to:
- A vast and diverse music library.
- Superior user experience with features like high-quality streaming, karaoke mode, and social integration.
- Targeted AI-driven music recommendations.
KuGou and Kuwo
- KuGou Music: Known for its strong appeal to younger audiences with a focus on trending hits, dance music, and karaoke functionality.
- Kuwo Music: Offers a more curated experience, catering to niche genres and high-quality sound enthusiasts.
Baidu’s Qian Qian: Struggling to Compete
In contrast to Tencent’s dominance, Qian Qian, Baidu’s rebranded streaming service, saw only 5.6 million monthly active users during the same period. Despite its rebranding efforts, Qian Qian faces challenges in competing with Tencent’s ecosystem, particularly in terms of:
- Music catalog size.
- User engagement features.
- Brand recognition.
Tencent’s Key to Success
Tencent’s music apps have thrived due to their ability to:
- Leverage Ecosystem Integration: Tight integration with Tencent’s WeChat and QQ platforms provides seamless social sharing and user retention.
- Personalization: Advanced AI ensures that users receive highly relevant recommendations.
- Innovative Features: From karaoke to live streaming concerts, Tencent apps cater to a wide range of user preferences.
- Broad Appeal: By targeting diverse demographics with differentiated apps, Tencent captures a wider audience across urban and rural markets.
Challenges for Competitors
Competitors like Qian Qian face significant hurdles in carving out market share. Overcoming Tencent’s entrenched position would require:
- Expanding music libraries.
- Offering unique features not available on Tencent platforms.
- Strengthening brand visibility.
How Does QQ Music Work?
QQ Music focuses on professional content, letting musicians as well as influencers set the trends. It has many impressive editorial playlists, and Kuwo is somewhere between Kugou and QQ. The music platform also provides an online payment service through which users can easily make payments for concert tickets and whatnot as well. Undoubtedly the app deserves the second position under the comprehensive list.
However, as many streaming services provide social network integration, none of them are linked as QQ Music to the social network as well as Tencent’s other services. Last year it was found that Facebook is planning to grow its music streaming sector. Acknowledging QQ’s success can be a fruitful move for the social network. However, the social giant Facebook denied these reports and concluded that they were not planning.
QQ Music was launched by a massive brand that has already been embedded in streaming lovers’ lives. And the platform is yet to turn a profit; it’s still in its earliest phase. Some have suggested that the platform’s success in other fields will allow it to plow money into streaming without bothering about losses, conceivably until it eventually makes money from it.
QQ music users are like the Chinese Spotify, which has an unparalleled user base and provides free music streaming and a premium paid experience for listening to a massive music catalog. The streaming platform has worked with Kanjian to take the music to all of the top streamers as well as stores across Asia and China.
Let’s explore how you can get started with the QQ Music app right below:
Download and Install
Visit your device’s app store (available on iOS and Android) and search for “QQ Music.” Download and install the app.
Create an Account
- Open the app and sign up.
- Options for account creation include:
- Your phone number.
- Linking your WeChat or QQ account for a seamless experience.
Explore the Interface
Get familiar with QQ Music’s user-friendly design:
- Home: Stay updated with trending tracks and curated recommendations tailored to your listening habits.
- Library: Access all your playlists, liked songs, and downloaded music in one place.
- Search: Find your favorite songs, albums, or artists quickly.
- Me: Manage your profile, subscriptions, and account settings.
Choose a Subscription Plan
- QQ Music offers free and premium plans.
- Premium perks include:
- Ad-free listening.
- Lossless audio quality.
- Offline downloads.
- Exclusive content.
- Payment methods often include WeChat Pay, Alipay, or credit cards.
Customize Your Experience
Make QQ Music your own with these tips:
- Create Custom Playlists: Organize your favorite tracks for every mood or occasion.
- Follow Artists: Stay updated on new releases and live streams from your favorite musicians.
- Adjust Equalizer Settings: Enhance your audio experience by customizing sound quality.
How QQ Music Makes Money?
QQ Music works on the “Freemium” tier and has fewer paying users compared to Spotify. QQ Music has more than 10 million monthly paying subscribers, whereas music giant Spotify has around 30 million. The primary difference is that QQ Music provides users with different ways to make payments. As of 2020, QQ Music offers three subscription types, which include
- QQ Music Free;
- QQ Music VIP;
- QQ Music Luxury.
QQ Music also provides artists the ability to publish downloadable music and streamable music as well. It’s found that Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin exchanged 610,000 copies of the single ‘Twilight’ on QQ Music in one week. QQ Music also provides concert tickets and merchandise, a primary Western service that has proven to be a meaningful way. Hence QQ Music subscribers are comparatively low. It’s found that around 57% of the 480 million-strong user base have paid for music to enjoy the music streaming content.
The added purchase options enable QQ Music to make money once listeners sign up, but know precisely how QQ Music gains popularity among users? The answer is quite simple.
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QQ Music is one petite part of Tencent, the Chinese internet giant behind WeChat. The report by eMarketer shows that the messaging app has around 762 million users.
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It has far outgrown its original purpose and is the go-to option for booking cabs, tickets, and other day-to-day services for its immense users. However, Tencent is so central to Chinese customers’ lives that QQ Music is a straightforward streaming service.
Is QQ Music Good for Artists?
Undoubtedly, Western streaming services are learning from QQ Music and can’t benefit artists greatly. The meager royalty rates paid by Spotify’s music streaming mean that streaming services don’t benefit artists in the West. As the terms are not public, Tencent’s tremendous built-in user base recognized the company to strike better deals.
It’s a better option for QQ Music, not for labels and artists. If any label or artist refuses to place their music on QQ, they speculate cutting themselves off from swathes of audiences, so they have little choice but to accept these deals.
Other QQ Music Information You Must Look into!
QQ Music operates in China, but for some time, the free service was available for free for global users, and many international users used the service to circumvent paid services like Spotify and Apple Music. To strengthen copyright restrictions, in 2016, the music streaming platform blocked international users, while users overseas receive an error when they are trying to play music.
In 2017, Tencent Music and Alibaba Music had a deal to collaborate on copyright enabling Alibaba Music service Xiami and QQ Music to share amazing copyright deals. Nevertheless, Alibaba Music has preferential rights to specific SM Entertainment Korean releases like Luna, Girls’ Generation, EXO, EXO-CBX, etc. It means that QQ Music and other competing service audiences will not be allowed to stream these songs.
Later, SM Entertainment’s music content rights returned as a shared actuality to QQ Music when SM Entertainment and Tencent Music Entertainment signed a deal in 2019. QQ Music provides limited downloads in its Freemium Model, and labels can easily control whether they allow free users to download their songs or restrict downloading to the VIP plan.
Technical Information: Explore to Know How QQ Music is Portrayed
QQ Music is restrictive and commonly uses DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection. Downloads and streams are available in two formats, that is:
1. The MP3 media file system;
2. The FLAC media file system.
The MP3 file system is used for standard quality streams as well as downloads at 128 kbit/s and 320 kbit/s for Great Quality, whereas the FLAC file system is used for downloads and SQ streams. SQ and HQ streams and downloads are available for the Luxury and VIP plans, and SQ streams aren’t available on the QQ Music web player.
QQ Music connects to the Music app on iOS systems and makes it easier for users to combine the Local Files library with the QQ Music library using the download section of the app. All the features work on a desktop app where the QQ music app will scan for local music files and enable users to play them through the app.
Concluding Note
QQ Music stands out as more than a music streaming app—it’s a comprehensive entertainment platform combining an extensive music library, personalized experiences, and social integration. It sets the benchmark for music apps globally, making it a prime example of what’s possible in this dynamic industry.
If you’re ready to create your own music streaming platform and tap into a booming market, Alphanso Technology is here to help. With our expertise in developing feature-rich, scalable, and innovative apps, we’ll help you craft a product that captivates users and stands out.
Don’t wait—contact us today at sales@alphansotech.com to take the first step toward building your game-changing music streaming platform!
FAQs About QQ Music App
What is the QQ Music App?
The QQ Music App is a popular music streaming platform developed by Tencent. It offers a large music catalog, personalized recommendations, social features, and high-quality audio streaming, making it one of the top music apps in China and globally.
How does the QQ Music App work?
The QQ Music App allows users to search, stream, and discover music from a vast library. It features personalized playlists, real-time music recommendations, social sharing, and the option to download tracks for offline listening. The app also offers both free and premium subscriptions.
What are the different subscription tiers in QQ Music?
QQ Music provides multiple subscription options:
VIP: Offers ad-free listening, high-quality audio, and access to certain exclusive content.
Super VIP: Provides more advanced features, including higher quality audio, early access to new releases, and exclusive live content.
How does QQ Music generate revenue from advertising?
QQ Music monetizes free-tier users through advertisements. These ads may appear as:
- Display ads (banners or pop-ups).
- Audio ads between songs.
- Video ads before or during content playback. Ads are targeted based on user behavior and preferences, enhancing their relevance and effectiveness.
How does QQ Music make money?
QQ Music generates revenue through a variety of methods, including:
- Premium Subscriptions
- In-App Purchases
- Advertising
- Music Licensing
- Live Streaming and Virtual Gifting
- Corporate Services
Can I create a music streaming app with features like QQ Music but focused on a specific genre or niche?
Yes, it’s possible to create a music streaming app like QQ Music but with a focus on a specific genre (such as jazz, classical, or indie). This approach can help you target a more dedicated audience and offer unique value compared to general music streaming platforms.